Undergarment



G. C. TANNER Dec. 20

UNDERGARMENT Filed June l, 1932 2 Sheets-Sh Illl 'PVL' ulllllllll Patented Dec. 2o, 1932 PATENT OFFICE GUY C. TANNEB, OF MELROSE PARK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO FRIEDBERGER- AARON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, .A COR- PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA UNDERGARME-NT Application led .Tune 1, 1932. Serial4 No. 614,687.

My invention relates to a new and useful construction in undergarments, and it relates more particularly to feminine nethergarments which are adapted to lit tightly or snugly over the body without any creases and without any shirring or gathering and without the use of any buttons, supports or holders. e

One of the objects of my invention is to produce a feminine undergarment which will more snugly iit the body without any excess thickness, or creases, shirring or gathering, and which will be durable and will increase the comfort of the wearer. With the above and other objects in view my invention consists of an undergarment composed of a main body formed of a highly elastic and loosely -knitted fabric, more elastic transversely than longitudinally, and having a retainer bandl continuously affixed to the waist line thereof, said retainer band surrounding the entire waist line and being formed of elastic strands encased' in threads braided thereover, and said fabric and elastic being united without any shirring or gathering.

My invention further consists of other novel features and details of construction which will appear more fully from the following detailed description.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawings one form thereof which lis at present preferred by me, since the same has` been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be ,understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can bevvario'usly arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and .organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Referrin to the drawings in which like reference caracters indicate like parts: f

Figure 1 represents a general perspective view of a garment embodying my invention.

Figure 2 represents a bottom view of the same.

Figure 3 represents a fragmentary perspective view (on a much enlarged scale) partly in section, as on line 3-1-3 of Figure 1, of the upper part of the garment showing the fabric and retainer band structure and their structural relationship to each other.

Figure 4 represents a fragmentary perspective view on a still further enlarged scale, and also partly in section on line 4 4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 represents a fragmentary perspective view, on a similarly enlarged scale, also partly in section on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 represents a perspective view of the crotch insert.

Figure 7 represents a section on line 7-7 of Figure 1. j

The nethergarment of my present invention comprises a generally tubular body 10 formed of knitted fabric being highly elastic in a circumferential direction, and being less elastic vertically. The upper periphery of the body l0 terminates in an annular waist section 11, formed integrally with the body section 10, and. being similarly more elastic circumferentially than vertically, but being more closely knittedthan the body section -10 by reason of the stitches beingdrawn more tightly, while the stitches of the body section 75 10 are formed more loosely. l i In the preferred embodiment of my invention, the body Section 10 andthe upper pe- .ripheral waist section 11 are of a ribbed construction, as indicated particularly in Figures 3, 4 and.5, whereby the circumferential elasticity is still further increased without materially increasing the vertical elasticity of the body and waist band sections 10 and 11.

The garment further consists of a waist retainer band 12 which extends continuously around the upper periphery of the waist section 11 as indicated particularly in Figure 1, and which is permanently affixed thereto in a manner shown more in detail in, Figure 3, by a series of parallel rows of stitches 13 which extend through the overlapping portions of the retainer band 12 and the waist section 11 as shown particularly in Figure 3, and a series of connector threads 14 extending'transversely of said rows of stitches 13 the juncture of said Waist section 11 andv elastic retainer band12 being devoid of shirring or gathering of any kind.

The retainer band 12 is formed of a mul-` tiplicity of elastic strands 15 extending longitudinally of said elastic waist band and extending peripherally with respect to the garment, and outer encasing threads 16 which are braided over said elastic strands, transversely thereof, so that the elastic retainer, band 12 is devoid of any non-elastic strands extending longitudinally thereof or extending peripherally of the garment. This braided elastic band 12, thus composed of longitudinal rubber strands 15 and transverse encasing and connecting threads 16 extending transversely thereof on a slight bias with respect thereto, is of a length substantially equal to the upper periphery of the Waist section 11, when both the elastic band l2 and waist section ll-are in their normal or fully contracted condition, and the elasticity of said retainer band 12 and waist section 11 are generally equal to each other and sulicient to permit the waist section to be distended to such extent that the garment may be slipped over the body and slipped off the body without any vertically extending openings, that is, without slitting or opening up the garment at any point. The ends of the retainer band 12 are united to each other at any suitable point, for instance, at the back of the garment, as at 17 by any suitable sewn seam. The lowermost section 18 of the garment. is bifurcated as indicated particularly in Figures 1 and 2 with the lowermost or terminal portions 19 of each of the leg sections 20 and 21 being preferably more tightly or closely knit than the body section 10. The legs are seamed at 22 and a crotch piece 23, formed of two plys of fabric, is inserted between the legs by means of the seams 24, 25, 26 and 27 ;said crotch piece also being more elastic in a direction transversely of the' two legs, that is, in a direction from one leg to the other, and less. elastic from front to back.

By reason of the arrangement of the successive sections of the garment, the garmentl is naturally shaped,so that with substantially the same amount of material, the garment will be widest atthe hips and will be narrowed gradually towards the waist, and will be narrowest at the waist line, and yet so that the garment,may be slipped over the body without slitting. or otherwise opening the garment and so that the garment will fit snugly without any bulging or creasing, or without any shirring or gathering. In the construction and formation of tailored nethergarments, it has heretofore been the necessary practice of slitting the garment vertically at some suitable point so that the garment might be opened up temporarily while being slipped over the body orwhile being removed from the body. By my novel construction, all the advantages of the slitted and tail-ored garments of the prior practices are attainable to a maximum extent without any slitting and without any unsi htly shirring or gathering.

am aware that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and I therefor desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the .scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I hereby claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A bifurcated nethergarment including a tubular body section formed of knitted fabric highly elastic circumferentially and less elastic vertically, a waist section formed integrally with said body section and also formed of knitted fabric highly elastic circumferentially and less elastic vertically, and being more closely and tightly knitted than said body section, and having its circumference gradually diminishing upwardly when in its normal and undistended condition, a braided elastic retainer band extending around the entire upper periphery of the knitted fabric in overlapping relation thereto ;-said retainer band and knitted sections being united by rows of sewn stitches extending circumferentially, and transverse connecting threads between said rows of sewn stitches.

2. A bifurcated nethergarment includin a tubular body sectionrformed of knitte fabric highly elastic circumferentially and less elastic vertically, a waist section formed integrally with said body section and also formed of knitted fabric highly elastic circumferentially and less elastic vertically and being more closely and tightly knitted than said body section, the circumference of said garment gradually diminishing upwardly when in its normal and undistended condition, a braided elastic retainer band extending around the entire upper periphery of said knitted fabric in overlapping relation thereto, and being united thereto by rows of sewn stitches extending circumferentially, and transversely sewn connecting threads between said rows of circumferentially sewn stitches, and legs terminating in more closely and tightly knitted lower terminal sections.

3. A bifurcated nethergarment including a tubular body section formed of knitted fabric highly elastic circumferentially and less elastic vertically, a waist section formed integrally with said body section and also formed of knitted fabric highly elastic circumferentially and less elastic vertically, having its circumference gradually diminishing upwardly when in its normal and undistended condition, an elastic retainer band extending around the upper periphery of the knitted fabric in overlapping relation thereto, being formed of nothing but elastic core strands extending longitudinally of the band and peripherally of the garment, and textile threads interlaced with said elastic strands transversely thereof ;-said retainer band and knitted sections being united by sewn stitches extending in a direction generally transverse of the united edges of the knitted fabric and elastic band.

4. A bifurcated nethergarrnent including a tubular body section formed of knitted fabric highly elastic circumferentially and less elastic vertically, a waist section formed integrally with said body section and also formed of knitted fabric highly elastic circumferentially and less elastic vertically the circumference of said garment gradually diminishing upwardly when in its normal and undistended condition, an elastic retainer band extending around the upper periphery of said knitted fabric in overlapping relation thereto, being formed of nothing but elastic core strands extending longitudinally of the band and peripherally of the garment, and textile threads interlaced with said elastic strands transversely thereof; and being united thereto by sewn stitches extending in a direction generally transverse of theunited edges of the knitted fabric and elastic band, and legs terminating in more closely and tightly knitted lower terminal sections.

5. A bifurcated netherga'rment including a tubular body section formed of knitted fabric highly elastic circumferentially of the garment and less elastic vertically of the garment, a waist section formed integrally with said body section, and also formed of knitted fabric highly elastic circumferentially of the garment and less elastic vertically of the garment, having its circumference gradually diminishing upwardly when in 'its normal or undistended conditi-on, and an elastic retainer band extending around the upper periphery of the knitted fabric of the waist portion of the garment, said elastic retainer band being formed of nothing but elastic core strands extending longiutdinally of the band and peripherally of the garment, and textile threads interlaced with said elastic strands transversely thereof ;-said retainer band and knitted sections being united by sewn stitches extending in a direction generally transverse of the united edges of knitted fabric and elastic band.

6. A bifurcated nethergarment including a tubular body section formed of knitted fabric highly elastic circumferentially of the garment and less elastic vertically of the garment, a waist section formed integrally with said body section and also formed of knitted fabric highly elastic circumferentially of the garment and less elastic vertically of the garment, and having its circumference gradually diminishing upwardly when in its normal and undistended condition, and a braided elastic retainer band extending around the upper periphery of the knitted fabric of the waist portion of the garment g-said braided Y In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GUY C. TANN'ER. 

